


Caught the Bug

by Crawlingthroughashes



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-03-31 21:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3993865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crawlingthroughashes/pseuds/Crawlingthroughashes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a little drabble where Milagro and Khaji pick on Jaime, and his superhero identity is potentially at risk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caught the Bug

Jaime ambled into the kitchen, dragging his feet as he walked. His eyes, still half-lidded with sleep, fixated blearily on the clock above the kitchen stove. It was almost noon.

"Look who it is," Milagro sing-songed as Jaime shuffled past her. 

On any other day he would've made a sarcastic remark, fueling the constant bickering that occurred between them. But not today; not when his fatigue was bone-deep and his entire aura exuded tiredness. The better part of his night had been spent on a Team mission, and it seemed that his sleep-deprivation was finally catching up to him. 

Milagro peered expectantly at him, before whispering, "It's the bugboy." 

Jaime's grip on the carton of milk he'd retrieved from the fridge slackened, and the carton exploded across the linoleum floor. His heart was beating dangerously fast, as if it were trying to free its self from his rib cage, and his throat was tightening almost painfully. The air in his lungs seemed to have been replaced with a heavier substance than oxygen. His stomach coiled with anxiety as he spluttered, "What did you say?" 

Milagro grinned wickedly, relishing Jaime's look of shock. He was wide awake now. "Bugboy. you know—" 

"What's that about a bug?" Bianca Reyes asked as she entered the kitchen, her hair coifed in a bun. After surveying Jaime's panicked expression, she laid a gentle hand on her son's forehead. "Are you feeling alright _mi hijo?_ " 

"Oh, he doesn't have that kind of bug," Milagro said under her breath. 

Jaime blanched at her words. "How did you find out?" 

He'd always been so careful, exiting through his bedroom window for late night missions rather than sneaking through the front door, and always having a ready, thought-out alibi for his increasing absence at home. His main priority as a superhero had always been to keep his family sheltered. 

The smirk that formed on her lips was like a punch to Jaime's stomach. "You made it pretty obvious." 

_[Jaime Reyes, you are discharging stress hormones. I would advise you to calm down.]_ Jaime bit down on his tongue to refrain from talking back to Scarab. If Milagro already suspected he was the Blue Beetle, he didn't need to give her extra proof. 

_[I am experiencing a byproduct of your nervous symptoms.] The disembodied voice that Jaime alone could hear sounded irritable, chastising, even. [If you fail to relax, I will be forced to take control of our body.]_

"Shut up already!" 

" _Jaime!_ Don't speak to your sister that way," Bianca scolded with a frown. 

Milagro stuck out her tongue in Jaime's direction. "I wasn't going to tell, but I think mamá has a right to know." 

"Know wha—oh! Who spilled all this milk?" she demanded, finally taking notice of the mess behind the table. Bianca's hands rose instinctively to rest on her hips, and her lips pursed in a way that meant a long lecture was sure to ensue. 

But at that exact moment, the doorbell rang, the sound shattering the stiff atmosphere in the kitchen. 

"Milagro, why don't you get that?!" Jaime's voice came out an octave higher than usual. If he could get Milagro away from his parents long enough to reason with her, maybe he could stop them from finding out. The less people that were put in jeopardy, the better. 

"No, no I will," Bianca sighed, "and when I get back this better be cleaned up." 

Jaime cleaned the spilled milk at breakneck speed, all the while glaring daggers at his younger sister. "You can't tell anyone." 

"Mamá y papá have the right to know that you caught the bug," she giggled, "the lovebug." 

"Lovebug?" Jaime echoed perplexedly. 

_[I do not compute.]_ Before he could question what she meant, the sound of footsteps resounded. He turned, momentarily distracted, and found himself staring into a pair of green eyes that were bright with mirth. "Heeey her-man-oh! Hey Milagro." 

Milagro painted a brilliant smile across her face. "Hi Bart! You know, we were _just_ talking about you." Scarab hummed thoughtfully against Jaime's spine. _[The Milagro's deduction seems accurate. Your heart rate is suddenly erratic and your blood pressure has decreased. Jaime Reyes, you have indeed caught a 'lovebug' for the Impulse.]_

Jaime made an embarrassed noise in his throat, attempting to cover his reddening face with his hands. Bart looked bemused when Jaime groaned out, "You two are impossible!"

**Author's Note:**

> I published this on FFN like a year ago, so might as well post it here...


End file.
